Turbo-ram-jet engine
OwnerHugh Patrickinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A high speed, high-altitude jet aircraft engine operable as a ram-jet and/or turbo-jet using a single combustion chamber in a main housing receiving compressed air and also a variable flow of ram air bypassing the compressor. Primary and secondary burners in different parts of the combustion chamber produce respectively a major high temperature portion of burnt gas exhausted direct through a main nozzle and a minor lower temperature portion ducted off to drive the turbine which is in a side housing, the minor portion being exhausted through a subordinate nozzle.
Claims7
A high-speed, high-altitude aircraft jet engine capable of operating in a turbo-jet or a ram-jet mode, or a combination thereof, said engine comprising:
- air intake means adapted to receive an inflow of air due to forward motion of the aircraft;
- means for dividing said inflow air into a first inflow portion and a second inflow portion;
- a compressor adapted to receive and compress said first inflow portion;
- a combustion chamber downstream of said compressor and adapted to receive an air feed including said compressed air, said combustion chamber including a primary region and a secondary region;
- first bypass means downstream of said air intake means and upstream of said compressor capable of admitting said second inflow portion to a bypass passage to enter said combustion chamber substantially as ram air and bypassing said compressor;
- confluence means upstream of said combustion chamber for combining said compressed air and said ram air;
- valve means for regulating the relative proportion of compressed air and ram air entering the combustion chamber;
- a plurality of primary burners in said combustion chamber and adapted to admit fuel to said primary region to generate a high-temperature first gas portion in said primary region of said combustion chamber;
- a plurality of secondary burners in said combustion chamber and adapted to admit fuel to said secondary region to generate a lower temperature second gas portion in said secondary region of said combustion chamber;
- a turbine downstream of said secondary region of said combustion chamber and drivable by said second gas portion;
- duct means for conveying said second gas portion from said combustion chamber to said turbine;
- connection means to establish a mechanical drive connection between said turbine and said compressor;
- exhaust nozzle means downstream of said combustion chamber;
- second bypass means capable of conveying said first gas portion to said exhaust nozzle means and bypassing said turbine;
- and throttle means for selectively controlling fuel flow to said primary and secondary burners.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.